Super sport, high school rodeo

Licenses in the parking lot reflected counties from all over Nebraska plus Kansas, Colorado, Texas and South Dakota. I noted a few: 14, 36, 61, 75, 65, 87, 81, 64, 93 ROP N TY, 83, 48, 80, 4, 15, 60, 67, and even our own 48. It was the Southwest Nebraska High School Rodeo located on the Red Willow County Fairgrounds, first off for the spring season.

Grannie and I had walked through the grounds Saturday evening and marveled at the rigs. Horse trailers, big horse trailers, many with living quarters (for humans) up front, pull behinds, fifth wheels. Motor homes, campers large and small, lots of shinny stainless steel. Horses tied out beside the rigs, horses in stalls inside buildings plus outside roofed enclosed on two sides stalls for more. Where there are horses there are working dogs keeping watch and ready to go. We even noted a lonely goat. As the man says the rigs may run $75,000 plus but that is a family's recreation vehicle. Instead of camping, drinking beer and throwing cans on the beach, they are doing wholesome things with their kids.

Tall skinny kids, boys and girls alike with the universal uniform, jeans, boots and western shirt and not-to-miss-western hat. Kids practicing roping on special contraptions to represent calves. Even kids practicing roping each other all in good fun. Possibly it was some kind of western courtship ritual I missed growing up.

Speaking of the young gents and ladies whenever in conversation with an adult one hears "Yes mam, yes sir or no mam and no sir." Respectful teenagers amen!

High school rodeo kids are a special lot in the eyes of this ole has-been farmer. In the first place they are an independent lot shouldering the responsibility of feeding and caring for an animal much bigger than themselves. They check the schedule of events and have their animal saddled, exercised, warmed up and ready to go when their name is called. Many form friendships that last a lifetime. Few high schools actually sponsor a rodeo team, by far they are just individuals of the right grade levels sharing a love of the truly American sport of rodeo.

Breakaway roping, pole bending, goat tying and barrel racing for the ladies and tie down roping, steer wrestling, bareback riding, saddle bronc and bull riding for the gents. Sharing the duties of team roping, headers and heelers were both boys and girls.

Most are farm kids, ranch kids but not always, some grandparents or other relatives provide the horse and facilities and some just friends helping out. Yep that is the spirit of Western Nebraska. Providing for our kids!

Ah, what kids they are. A young mom dutifully sitting in the stands to cheer for her child's events told of her daughter participating on both her high school volley ball and basketball teams then coming home saddling her steed to practice barrel racing and breakaway roping for another hour or so. A proud papa told of his son, a senior, roping and bull dogging and then will go off to college next fall to play division one football.

A rodeo such as this requires real organization to run nine different events for 300 plus contestants. Then the rodeo stock has to be there sized right and fit. For all to run smoothly lots of volunteer help knowledgeable fit and ready to go when needed. Now that is a good thing as much of the help are former contestants who are bringing their kids along on the sport that they love. Good deal they don't ever have to grow up that way.

Your correspondent was there on Sunday afternoon and the stands were a little light with fans. Looked to be mostly parents and well-wishers. Reports were that the stands in the wonderful Kiplinger Arena were packed on Saturday lots of local people turned out. The solo McCook participant was MHS Senior Melinda Shields so probably most of the fans traveled a bit.

The committee evidently did yeoman duty rounding up sponsors. Most of the businesses in town donated. I noted that V-Bar Trailer Sales gave to the level of Gold Sponsor as well they might judging from the dazzling high dollar rigs outside. Pickup dealers should have been front and center too.

With the number of visitors brought to the area local business stood to gain and likely were willing sponsors. Many locals who had little to gain economically also donated in the spirit of community so good on ya!

Note there was no need for additional security personnel all weekend. The rodeo was over and the grounds cleared by 6 p.m. I drove the fairgrounds and nary a speck of waste paper or empty cans could be found. Only thing out of place were little piles of unique, natural biodegradable, horse fertilizer scattered about. I wondered about the contrast between that crowd and those at the City Auditorium where the Christian Rock Concert (oxymoron) started about rodeo closing time.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail